"The tragic story of a handful of men and women who live on an isolated Heath in Victorian England. Love triangles ensue between the frustrated Eustacia Vye, discontent Damon Wildeve, naive Thomasin Yeobright, intelligent Clym Yeobright, possessive Mrs. Yeobright, and the shrewd Diggory Venn. Beautiful descriptions of the heathland (which is itself a central "character") by Hardy who carries this novel to a poetic and somewhat depressing close. "
Margaret, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Return of the Native
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 19th century
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- love triangle/polygon
Inside culture (main char)
- British
Other aspects:
- story of the poor
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society)
- British
If story of urban/rural...
- Small town life
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Woman's story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- wealthy
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- emotionally unstable
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- homemaker
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- physically sick
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 10 (a tremendous amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Forest?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- No single main character?
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
